Kingston Shipyards

Kingston Shipyards was a Canadian shipbuilder and ship repair company that operated from 1910 to 1968. The facility was located on the Kingston waterfront property known as Mississauga Point, which is the now the site of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston.

History

Marine Railway Company

In 1836 the British Board of Ordnance transferred control of the Kingston waterfront property, Mississauga Point, from the military to local businessmen. John Counter, Henry Gildersleeve, and Thomas Kirkpatrick created the Marine Railway Company to service the shipping traffic on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

By 1839 the company had built a small dry dock, an engine foundry, two wharves and a marine railway. In 1848 a large three storey warehouse was constructed. Steam power was added to the marine railway in 1851 and additional stone outbuildings were constructed in 1854.

The Marine Railway Company advertised its facilities in 1862. The company claimed to own a marine railway with steam sawmill, workshops and offices, sixteen stone cottages, a large foundry known as the Ontario foundry, five large three and four storey fireproof warehouses and many wharves. Over two hundred men were employed to overhaul and service seven vessels at a time. At its time, it was the largest shipbuilding effort west of Quebec.

First World War

In 1910 Collingwood Shipyards opened a subsidiary shipbuilding and repair plant in Kingston. The government dry dock was rented and purchased, and three government contracts for ships were secured. Several small jobs followed until the First World War in 1915. War contracts required 8 minesweepers for the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy and thus the workforce increased to over 1000 workers.

Depression

Manager D. Thompson headed the firm during the Great Depression keeping a crew of six to eight men onsite. Parties of workers were hired on the spot on a jobbed basis.

Second World War

The first three corvettes were ordered to be constructed in 1940. This was the first construction contract since 1923. The workforce grew to over 1500 as corvette and minesweeper construction progressed. The last wartime contracts were for seven seagoing steam tugs which were finished after the war had ended.

Canada Steamship Lines takes over

In 1947 the yard was bought by the Canada Steamship Lines. This rejuvenated the shipyard business as the fleet of canallers owned by the Canada Steamship Lines provided repair work for the yard. The Kingston Shipyards throughout the 1950s was occupied with building tugs, barges and pontoons.

Final years

The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 made the fleet of canallers obsolete. With no canaller fleet wintering in Kingston, the yard lost the majority of its work. In 1967 Canada Steamship Lines shut down the site and all the equipment was to be sold or transferred to Collingwood Shipyards. The property was sold in 1968, and in 1974 acquired by the establishment of the current Marine Museum of the Great lakes at Kingston.

Shipbuilding history Ships built at Kingston Shipyards Hull # Original name Original owner Type Gross tonnage Date built Disposition 1 Polana Dept. of Agriculture Quarantine cutter 278 1911 1927: renamed Jalobert 1955: renamed Macassa 1965: renamed Queen City 3 Bellechasse Coast Guard Icebreaker and buoy tender 417 1912 1954: scrapped 4 Dollard Coast Guard Buoy tender 761 1913 1970: scrapped 5 P.W.D. No. 17 Dept. of Public Works Dump scow 398 1913 1938: no trace of ship records past this date. 6 P.W.D. No.18 Dept. of Public Works Dump scow 398 1913 1985: possibly broken up. 7 Royal Canadian Navy Minesweeper 440d 1918 1920: decommissioned 1923: recommissioned 1930: struck a rock and sank 8 Royal Canadian Navy Minesweeper 440d 1918 1920: decommissioned 1940: recommissioned 1949: broken up 9 HMCS TR-19 Royal Navy Minesweeper 360d 1918 1926: renamed Almeria 1928: renamed Goolgwai 1939: 1945: decommissioned 1955: wrecked near Sydney, Australia 10 HMCS TR-20 Royal Navy Minesweeper 360d 1918 1920: renamed Seville 1926: renamed Durraween 1940: 1952: broken up 11 HMCS TR-54 Royal Navy Minesweeper 360d 1918 1925: renamed Table Bay 1937: renamed Mary Mortimer 12 HMCS TR-55 Royal Navy Minesweeper 360d 1918 1920: renamed Marie Jacqueline 1927: Svalbard II 1939: HNoMS Scorpion (Royal Norwegian Navy) 1940: captured by Germans, renamed NN02 Scorpion 1945: surrendered and returned to previous Norwegian owners 1946: Svalbard II 1956: Baxel 1966: sold for scrap 13 HMCS TR-56 Royal Navy Minesweeper 360d 1918 1919: renamed CT56 (USN) 1921: renamed Romanita 14 HMCS TR-57 Royal Navy Minesweeper 360d 1919 1920: renamed Colonel Roosevelt 1926: renamed Texas 1941: HMT Texas 1944: lost in a collision off Jamaica 15 Canadian Beaver Canadian Govt. Cargo ship 2,410 1920 1934: renamed Shinai (Japan Govt.) 1941: renamed Shinai Maru 1944: sunk by an American mine off the coast of Celebes. 16 Canadian Coaster Canadian Govt. Cargo ship 2,422 1921 1929: renamed Kingsley 1943: renamed Silvestre 1950: renamed Santa Lucia 1966: scrapped for parts J. A. Cornett Canadian Dredging Tug 60 1937 2015: moored near Port Dover harbour 17 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 940d 1941 1942: sinks enemy ship U-356 1943: sinks enemy ship 1946: sold and scrapped 18 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 940d 1941 1943: sinks enemy ship U-163 1946: sold 1951: scrapped19 vRoyal Canadian Navy Corvette 940d 1941 1946: sold and converted to tug 1967: scrapped 20 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 940d 1941 1942: Torpedoed and sunk by U-517 in the St. Lawrence River near Cap-Chat, Quebec. 21 Royal Navy Minesweeper 545d 1942 1946: renamed Turoy 1949: renamed Christina 1954: renamed Korso 1957: sunk by a mine off Portugal 22 Royal Navy Minesweeper 545d 1942 1946: renamed Aalesund 1967: renamed Lars Nyvoll 1978: renamed Jan Mayen 23 / U.S. Navy / Royal Navy Corvette 980d 1942 1947: renamed HMS Flax 1951: renamed Ariana 1955: renamed Arvida Bay 1963: renamed Zaida 24 / U.S. Navy / Royal Navy Corvette 980d 1942 1943: renamed HMS Honesty 1946: renamed USS Caprice 1961: scrapped 25 / U.S. Navy / Royal Navy Corvette 980d 1943 1943: renamed HMS Rosebay 1947: renamed Benmark 1950: renamed Frida 1954: scrapped 26 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 980d 1943 1945: sold to United Ship Corp. of New York for merchant service 27 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 980d 1943 1945: Torpedoed and sunk by in the English Channel 28 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 980d 1944 1947: renamed Gerardo Jansen (Dominican Republic Navy) 1972: scrapped 29 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 980d 1943 1947: renamed Juan Bautista Combiaso (Dominican Republic Navy) 1972: broken up 30 Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 980d 1943 1950: renamed Olympic Lightning (Honduran-flagged whale-catcher) 1956: renamed Otori Maru No. 16 (Japanese vessel) 1961: renamed Kyo Maru No. 23 (Japanese vessel) 31-38 Carleton, Listowel, Aydon Castle, Barnwell Castle, Beeston Castle, Bowes Castle, Devizes Castle, Egremont Castle Royal Canadian Navy Corvette 980d Cancelled 33 Rockglen British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1945 1948: renamed Freedom 34 Rockforest British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1945 1946: renamed Aramco 202 1948: renamed Abqaiq 1 35 Rockpigeon British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1945 1947: renamed Flaunt 1959: renamed St. Merryn 1984: scrapped 36 Rockdoe British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1945 1947: renamed Hoedic 1967: renamed Atlantico 1977: scrapped 37 Rockswift British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1945 1946: renamed Ocean Rockswift 1967: collides with Silver King I killing 6 fishermen 1995: sold 38 Rockelm British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1946 1952: renamed Kalid 39 Rockswift British Ministry of War Transport Tug 233 1946 1949: renamed Pemex XI 40 Kingston Canada Steamship Lines Passenger vessel Cancelled 41 Canada Steamship Lines Canaller Cancelled 42 N.H.B.M. Hopper No. 1 National Harbour Board Dump scow 135 1948 2015: active 43 N.H.B.M. Hopper No. 2 National Harbour Board Dump scow 135 1948 2015: active 44 Royal Canadian Navy Minesweeper 412d 1954 1966: scrapped 45 D. C. Everest Marathon Corp. Pulpwood carrier 2,196 1953 1981: renamed Condarrell 1989: renamed D. C. Everest 2000: renamed Condarrell 2006: scrapped 46 St. Lawrence II Brigantine Inc. Sailing vessel 34 1953 2015: active 47 Windmill Point Toronto Port Auth. Ferry 118 1954 2015: active 48 Amherst Islander Ont. Dept. of Hwys Ferry 184 1955 2015: active 49 Seeley’s Bay Ferry Leeds and Lansdowne Ferry 1955 50 D.O.T. 11 Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1955 51 D.O.T. 12 Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1955 52 Royal Canadian Navy Landing craft 1955 53 S.L.S. 81 St. Lawrence Seaway Sweep scow 102 1955 2015: active 54 YLV 600 Royal Canadian Navy Flat deck scow 220 1955 55 YLV 601 Royal Canadian Navy Flat deck scow 220 1955 56 Baffin One Canadian Hydro Svce. Landing barge 4 1956 For CSS Baffin 57 Baffin Two Canadian Hydro Svce. Landing barge 4 1956 For CSS Baffin 58 D.O.T. 49 Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1956 59 D.O.T. 50 Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1956 60 D.O.T. 51 Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1956 61 Pitts Merrit C.A. Pitts Contractors Dredge 883 1957 1977: Lost off Newfoundland 62 Fort Steele (MP 34) R.C.M.P. Patrol cutter 215 1958 1973: to RCNR, renamed HMCS Fort Steele 140 1996: renamed Marie T. Splinter 1996: renamed Longway 63 Kenora II (MP 94) R.C.M.P. Patrol cutter 119 1957 64 S.L.S. 86 St. Lawrence Seaway Scow 422 1958 65 S.L.S. 87 St. Lawrence Seaway Scow 422 1958 66 T.H.C. No. 50 Toronto Harbour Comm. Barge 385 1958 2004: active 67 William B. Dilly McNamara Construction Dredge 473 1957 2015: active 68 McNco No. 30 McNamara Construction Scow 321 1958 2015: active 69 McNco No. 31 McNamara Construction Scow 306 1958 70 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 71 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 72 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 73 Scirocco Gulfs & Lakes Navigation Yacht 57 1959 1969: renamed Esmau 1982: renamed Un Monde Different 2008: deleted 74 Lightship No. 4 Dept. of Transport Lightship 520 1959 1969: renamed 1995: renamed Kormoran 75 RCL D-35 Russel Construction Scow 235 1958 later: renamed J.P.P. No. 501 later: renamed H.M.D.C. No. 2 later: scrapped 76 RCL D-36 Russel Construction Scow 307 1958 Later: renamed J.P.P. No. 501 1998: H.M.D.C. No. 3 2006: closed 77 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 78 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 79 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 80 D.O.T. Dept. of Transport Landing craft 27 1958 81 Grayco Canada Pontoons 1958 82 Marguerite St. Lawrence Seaway Wooden boat 1959 Display boat for Upper Canada Village 83 McNco No. 1 McNamara Construction Scow 223 1959 84 McNco No. 2 McNamara Construction Scow 224 1959 85 McNco No. 3 McNamara Construction Scow 225 1959 86 McNco No. 4 McNamara Construction Scow 223 1959 87 Miss Cornwall Cornwall Boat Tours Tour boat 44 1960 later: renamed L’Aventure II active? 88 Pilot Boat No. 9 Dept. of Transport Pilot launch 44 1960 1984: renamed Claudin Riverin 2007: renamed Navsea 89 Churchill 61 National Harbour Board Dump scow 331 1961 1983: renamed Pitts No. 18